After an eventful three days, the 2021 Idaho Mid-Amateur Championship at Crane Creek Country Club has come to an end. Between Crane Creek's competitively challenging course and Mother Nature's debut of all four seasons, our Idaho golfers had their physical and mental games challenged. Out of the thick smoke-filled air, torrential downpours, and dense fog, we watched some incredible golf this week and named our 2021 Idaho Mid-Amateur Champions.
It was a battle each day for our men's title. After the first day, we had a two-way tie for first place between Jason Azzarito and Kevin Deguise, both firing a 71 (-1). Come the second day, however, all players were faced with heavy rains and a new leader emerged: Burke Spensky, shooting the lowest round of the day, 72 (E). But on the final day, Alan Barnhardt made it interesting as he made the turn at three-under par. It was the birdie on hole 18 that sealed the deal for Barnhardt, bringing him to 68 (-4) for the day. Our runner up, Brian Swenson, fought hard going 73-76-71 for a three-day total of 220. But it was Barnhardt and his clutch birdie on hole 18 that gave him the one shot victory. With rounds of 75-76-68 for a three-day total of 219, Alan Barnhardt was named our 2021 Idaho Mid-Am Champion. Brothers Babe and Jim Hiskey, for whom the trophy is named, were able to present the award to Barnhardt, making it a monumental moment and an incredible way to end the tournament.
After three intense days of competition at the Mid Amateur Championship at Crane Creek Country Club, Karen Darrington led wire-to-wire to defend her title from 2020. Darrington’s scores of 75-80-75=230 (+14) were good for an 11-shot victory over Sheryl Scott (241, +25). The course played extremely tough this week and Friday’s weather also played a factor in the scoring of the event. Brutal winds and rain drove the scores up during the second round but Darrington remained steady throughout the event. Going into the final round, Darrington had just a one-shot lead over second place, and a two-shot lead over third place. However, a birdie on the 10th hole stretched her lead to seven and it was easy coasting from there. This victory marks Darrington’s fifth overall in this event.
Congratulations to our winners and thank you to everyone who participated, as well as our fantastic host – Crane Creek Country Club.